Finding a good mastering guy... and the costs.

[UberGawkman]

You know, I know tons of good studios in town, but it seems like that's all that anyone knows about, mastering seems to be kind of an afterthought. Our last demo we had mastered at this one place, but we were kinda disappointed with the results. We're working on our cd right now, and are we having been trying to figure out the budget it will require to master, press cds, promote, etc. for the cd release.

So.....

-What's the best way to go about finding a mastering engineer? It's easy to find "studio" in the phone book... but not "mastering"
-I've come across a couple of places, some charge by the hour, some charge per song. How long does it take to do a decent mastering job on say, 3 songs 5 minutes long each?
-We have a cd that will have just about 60 minutes of audio total (not all songs, there are some joke "filler" tracks, etc). Is it usually cheaper on average per song if you have a bunch of them, kindof like how the "bulk rate" thing goes in stores?
-How does the process differ from going to a normal studio? Can you be right in there when they're doing it, or is it more of a "let them have it and work their magic" kindof thing?
-What should I watch out for?
-Texroadkill: do you know of any places here in Phoenix?


Things to keep in mind... we're metal, so it has to be that loud, compressed mix-ruining kinda mastering job. Just need to know where to go/how much to pay for my mixes to be the least-ruined after pegging the meters. Stupid need to conform....

 

[Son of Mixerman]

Start networking with these folks, they can get you closer with some cautions on psuedomastering.
http://www.nthelp.com/mastering/welcome.htm


SoMm

 

[littledog]

Mix magazine publishes an annual directory that lists studios by geographic region. It shouldn't be too hard to get a copy.

Most of my CD's have been mastered in about 5-6 hours. The places i use have no problem with the clients being present at the mastering sessions. Every place I've gone charges by the hour. In the Boston area, a reasonable rate at a good mastering studio is $80-$120 an hour. Obviously that doesn't include Gateway, where you can multiply those rates by at least 5. And even higher if you want Bob Ludwig.